So where do you fall on the geek scale if you go to Star trek on opening night? Are you in the upper percentile or, because it has be taken in a new direction by J.J. Abrams you get a bit of slack?..... No you are right, going on opening night is like being knighted into the holy order of geekdom. Yes, I am now Sir Golden Stallion Duke of Dork. But, I am pleased to announce that my coming out of the nerd closet has not been for naught...why, you ask? Because Star Trek kicked Asteroids!The movie starts at the very beginning of it all, before James Kirk is born and before Spock even knows how to do the Vulcan grip. We learn about Kirk's father, and what he does to become renowned throughout the Star Fleet. We also get a sense of Spock's upbringing and what it was like to be a child of two worlds. Not only does this add weight to their characters, but it also sets up the interesting twist in the movie that I wont divulge in this write up.
The movie starts with a full fledged battle between a Starship from the federation and a Romulon ship, that is easily 30 times the size of the Starship. It has weapons that can penetrate the starship's defenses with ease and immediately begins tearing the ship to pieces. Only a heroic effort by the elder Kirk, salvages any hope for the passengers. It truly is a great way to get the movie started and to pin you back into your seat for a thrill ride.
Suddenly we are jumped into the future and we are taken to the corn fields of Iowa, Kirk's state of childhood. Not only is it a rural upbringing, but it also is the fabrication ground of the Starfleet's ships. Kirk spends his entire childhood in the shadow of these amazing monsters of the plains. However, he seems completely aloof to his history or the starfleet and begins thinking about joining the fleet after a chance run in with a ship commander that had studied Kirk's father.
The Commander challenges him to make something of himself and see if he can match the legacy of his father. Kirk, without a destiny or direction decides that he is up for the challeneg and barely makes it in time to join before the cadets are shipped off. The movie hardly lets up from there and we are taken into the new style of Star Trek, a Star Trek that has shaken loose of its sillier roots and gripped a fiercer reality that makes it feel weightier. The bad guys are meaner, the battles bloodier and you care more for the characters. I love this new direction that J.J Abrams has taken!
Yes, I am a geek and yes Star Trek is worth every penny!
El Golden Stallion, Pubfilms.com's beast of burden, out.
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